1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an incinerator toilet with an incinerator chamber having a lid and a split bowl with a mechanism for opening and closing the lid and the bowl halves.
2. Description of the Prior Art
My U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,020,559; 3,890,653; 3,943,579; 4,823,408; 4,905,324; and 5,123,122 disclose incinerator toilets with an incinerator chamber having a lid and a split bowl with a mechanism for opening and closing the bowl halves.
The commercially available waterless incinerator toilet utilizes a disposable liner in the shape of the bowl in which to catch waste matter. This bowl of the toilet is made of two equally shaped halves which open essentially equally to form an opening of approximately 4 inches when fully extended.
The mechanism for opening the bowl halves and allowing the bowl liner and its contained waste to drop into the incinerator chamber is operatively connected to the incinerator lid which covers the opening of the incinerator chamber. The incinerator lid is caused to move and expose the opening to the chamber by means of a mechanism connected to the foot pedal.
In operation, the foot pedal is depressed, the lid lifts up about 1/2 inch then swings backwardly, the bowl halves open and the bowl liner and waste fall into the incinerator chamber where incineration takes place.
Heretofore, the travel of the lid and the opening of the bowl have been, more or less, linear in relationship, i.e., the bowl has begun to open as soon as the lid has begun to move with the result that the bowl halves have separated noticeably before the lid has cleared the opening to the incinerator chamber. Thus, a portion of the lid is visible through the partially opened bowl and the bowl is not fully opened until the lid is fully extended. The action can be speeded up by rapidly depressing the foot pedal and lid has mostly disappeared before bowl can react and open in a linear fashion. If the lid is opened at normal or lesser speed, the tip of the bowl liner and its contained waste can touch the top surface of the lid before the lid has cleared the opening.
During normal operation of the toilet, the lid becomes heated, attaining a temperature of about 500 degrees F on its top surface. If the bowl liner is made of paper, the bowl liner does not adhere to the top of the lid. If, however, the bowl liner is made of plastic material, e.g., polyethylene, the result of touching the heated lid surface can be catastrophic; the liner melts, sticks to the lid and the contained waste may be dropped outside of the incinerator chamber creating odorous and unsanitary conditions.
In the past, paper has been used exclusively as the bowl liner material as it can be hand-fabricated easily. There are disadvantages however; paper is relatively more expensive than other moisture impervious materials; paper creates an odor when burning; fabrication of the paper bowl liner by automation is difficult and expensive.
Plastic sheet material such as polyethylene can be fabricated more easily and cheaply by machine. This material also burns cleaner than paper and can be fabricated in rolls rather than in stacks. A plastic bowl liner can be used with the incinerator toilet only if the liner and contained waste can fall directly into the lower portion of the incinerator chamber without touching the heated lid. Thus, the heated lid must be clear of the incinerator chamber opening before the bowl halves begin to open so that the bowl liner cannot contact the lid at all.